May 14, 2020 6:30 a.m.
Douglas County has been approved to begin the Phase 1 Reopening process, according to a release from the Board of Commissioners issued Thursday morning.
The release said a notice from Governor Kate Brown was received late Wednesday evening.
Douglas County will be among the first counties to start the process of reopening businesses and kick starting the economy on Friday, according to the Commissioners. The mandated closures were issued in an Executive Order by the Governor on March 17th in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Board Chair Chris Boice said “this has been a tumultuous process for many of our citizens, as well as for the livelihood of our local businesses, but hopefully the reopening process will bring renewed life back to our struggling economy”. He said Douglas County worked hard to make sure every aspect of managing the health and safety of its citizens was carefully prepared and organized in order to be on the forefront of the reopening process.
Commissioner Tim Freeman said the county owes a tremendous amount of gratitude to Public Health Official Dr. Bob Dannenhoffer, the Douglas Public Health Network and the Douglas County COVID-19 Response Team for what they have accomplished in successfully managing the COVID-19 pandemic in the county. Freeman thanked citizens for “taking the crisis seriously, helping to flatten the curve for the spread of the virus and for stepping up to help our fellow citizens in a desperate time”.
Douglas County’s application was submitted last Friday by Boice, who worked in conjunction with Dr. Dannenhoffer to complete the reopening document.
Here is Governor Brown’s letter:
05.13.20_letter to Douglas County approval phase one
 
 
 
 
 
May 13, 2020
 
 
Douglas County Board of Commissioners Tim Freeman, Board Chair
1036 S.E. Douglas Ave. Roseburg, Oregon 97470
 
Chair Freeman,
 
Thank you for the effort you, your hospitals and your public health experts put into your plan for meeting the prerequisites demonstrating your county’s preparedness for beginning to lift restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
I am pleased to inform you that your county’s application to enter Phase I on May 15th has been approved.
 
My goals for a safe and strong Oregon:

1. Minimize hospitalizations and deaths;
2. Allow people to return to work so they can support themselves and their families;
3. Minimize risk to frontline workers;
4. Avoid overwhelming the health care system;
5. Protect those at highest risk of severe illness, especially the elderly, those with underlying health conditions, and communities of color; and
6. Support social/cultural/spiritual reopening for small groups that preserve community cohesion and cultural

 
I want to be clear that reopening does not come without risks. With every restriction lifted we know transmission of the virus has the potential to increase. The contact tracing, testing and personal protective equipment requirements that were part of the conditions for opening will be essential to mitigate that transmission increase.
 
T